Tokyo Part 1: Vending Machines


My first two nights would be in Tokyo and then I would head to Kyoto.

One of the first things you notice in Japan are the numerous vending machines. There are vending machines on every corner, in almost every apartment building, and even in the remote mountains. There were two vending machines outside of my hostel and one on the top floor. The vending machines mostly carried drinks, but there are some special vending machines that can give you a hot meal that tastes delicious. There are machines that carry nonfood items like little toys or umbrellas. I only saw vending machines for drinks, ice cream, and a few with figurines in them. I visited many popular areas in Japan, so I was surprised I never saw any of the vending machines that served hot food. Here are some images of common vending machines I found throughout Japan:
                          
                         
The bottom left and top right vending machines are the most common types of vending machines found just about everywhere. They typically contain canned coffee, water, flavored water, mineral water, sports drinks, juices, and unsweetened teas. With the exception of the juices typically none of the drinks have any added sugars. Some machines have Coke, Fanta and energy drinks, but they are typically more expensive likely encouraging consumers to go with healthy alternatives. The upper left picture is a specific vending machine for Lipton Tea and milk! The coffee is served cold during the warm months, but during colder months the coffee can be served hot and many teas are that way too. Ice cream vending machines are very popular in the summertime. Water fountains are not abundant in Japan, so these vending machines are frequently used and convenient for the average person.




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tokyo: Common Diets

Image
I had an opportunity to talk to a Japanese woman around the 30-40 age group and she provided some insight into what the typical Tokyo diet is. She says that most people cook bento boxes or buy bento boxes. She said beer commonly drank by adults after work. She said if someone was interested in losing weight they would often eat oden. Oden is a dish with very few calories. It typically features gelatinous fish paste, eggs, tofu, and sometimes potatoes in a fish broth. The gelatinous fish paste has a very low amount of calories, but it is filling, so it can help with weight loss. The oden below contains mostly the gelatinous fish paste.
Read more

Kyoto: Supermarkets

Image
Supermarkets share many similarities with American supermarkets, but there are still many differences. This section covers all the supermarkets I visited in Japan not just counting Kyoto. In every supermarket, there is a large seafood section serving anything from tuna to octopus tentacles. The seafood offers a freshness that is unobtainable in many landlocked, American grocery stores. There are many unusual aspects in Japanese grocery store including above-average fruit prices. The fruit all come from Japan and some fruit like the grapes and peaches are often very large, but still priced ridiculously high. With such high prices, the average Japanese person likely doesn't purchase many fruits, which seems like it would lead to a poorly balanced diet. As it turns out many Japanese people are frugal shoppers and can find the fruits in season to get a much more reasonably priced item. Bananas are not usually that expensive, so most Japanese people eat these. The fruit is of higher...
Read more